Londonderry painter makes bit of a splash in Hollywood

"Beach Dunes," one of a matching pair of oil paintings created by Londonderry artist Elaine Farmer, will grace the set of a new ABC television series.

LONDONDERRY - Oil painter Elaine Farmer certainly wasn't thinking of bright lights and television screens when she painted a couple of Florida beach dunes last year.

On one of her regular visits to Daytona Beach, where some of Farmer's relatives live, the quiet beauty of the dunes at day's end mesmerized the painter during an evening stroll with one of her cousins.

"The sun was going down and the light was just casting these amazing shadows," said Farmer, who teaches art classes at her Londonderry home studio. I just began snapping away with my camera because I knew this needed to be painted."

As it turns out, Farmer created not one but several works of art based on her impromptu dune photographs.

And like many of her other paintings, the "Beach Dunes" series ended up being posted on the Fine Art America website, an online marketplace featuring the works of thousands and thousands of artists both living and dead.

Knowing in the back of her mind that Fine Art America has a licensing agreement with ABC/Disney Studios, Farmer knew there was a very, very remote possibility her work could be seen by some big folks in Hollywood, though she really didn't give the matter much thought when she signed onto the site two years ago.

"I really never expected anything to happen," Farmer said. "I was just hoping to sell some of my art."

So when she got a call from the producers of ABC's new television pilot "Betrayal" last Monday, Farmer was ecstatic, to say the least.

With two reproductions of her dune paintings sold to ABC (one of the original paintings had already gone to its new owner), Farmer signed a contract for an undisclosed amount with the television conglomerate allowing them to use prints of her paintings as props on the Hollywood set.

The new television series is currently under production, according to the ABC television website, and is expected to premiere sometime this fall.

However, like any series starting out, the future is somewhat uncertain.

"Whether we'll actually see this show or not remains to be seen," Farmer said with a laugh.

But that doesn't dampen Farmer's excitement in the least.

"The funny part of it is that my son is in Hollywood right now trying to pursue his dream of writing and directing," Farmer said. "And here I am in Londonderry, not even trying."